NEW HAVEN, Conn. – After an eventful season, members of the Fitch Debate Team competed at an annual invitational tournament hosted by the Yale Debate Association.

The Rollin G. Osterweis Tournament was hosted on April 7 for high school debate teams from across the state. Members from Fitch’s varsity ranks competed for the first time, joining competitors from Joel Barlow High School in Redding, Pomperaug High School in Southbury, Manchester High School, and others. Held entirely on the Yale campus in downtown New Haven, the tournament is a one-day event that the YDA hosts annually, during which members of their team serve as judges.

Unlike other tournaments that Fitch Debate has competed in previously with the Connecticut Debate Association (CDA), the Osterweis competition featured a traditional Parliamentary format in which teams are given a new topic each round and 15 minutes to prepare. Within the CDA, debaters are given a single topic for the whole competition, up to 10 sources, and an hour to prepare their arguments.

This system took time to adjust to, but ultimately was preferred by all of Fitch’s debaters.

The goals of participating in the tournament were laid out early, as Debate Coach Rick Pecka highlighted the value of feedback from YDA’s student judges. Both teams thought feedback was beneficial for future debate tournaments.

In the end, both of Fitch’s teams went 1-3. 

Fitch students spent the day traveling Yale’s campus, taking in the architecture of well known buildings such as the Pauli Murray Residential College.

Topics, or motions, of the rounds ranged from debates on tolls for vehicles passing through city centers during peak hours, to whether or not children should be lied to about the existence of Santa Claus.

Competing at Osterweis capped off an eventful second year for Fitch’s debate team, one which saw them host their first competition and also attend state finals for the first time.